– Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected common organic molecules like acetic acid (found in vinegar), ethanol and formic acid (found in ant stings) around two young protostars called IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385.
– These molecules are considered important ingredients that could be incorporated into planets and help make them potentially habitable. They include simple molecules like methane and formaldehyde as well as more complex organic molecules.
– Detecting such molecules helps scientists understand where they originate from and how they become part of planets. It is thought they form from ice on dust grains and become part of comets and asteroids that deliver them to forming worlds.
– This find supports the theory that complex organic molecules are created when ices sublime or turn directly from solid to gas on dust grains in space.
– Understanding the early chemistry around protostars provides insights into what may have been present when our solar system was forming, including ingredients for life on Earth.
– The molecules could later become part of comets and asteroids and be transported to developing planetary systems as the protostars evolve.
Source: cnn
